Coin-controlled type-writing machine.



A. G. F. KUROWSKI.

COIN CONTROLLED TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY I4, 1912.

1,141,559. Patented June 1, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED G'. F. KUROWSKI, OF NE NV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD TYPE- WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

COIN-CONTROLLED TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

T all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALFRED G. F. Knnowsin, a citizen of the United States, residing in Brooklyn borough, in the county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Type-\Vriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to time and coincontrolled mechanism used in connection with typewriting machines, more particularly to means for starting and stopping such mechanism.

Time-controlled mechanism has been used for typewriting machines which are pro- .vided with means for normally locking the keys so as to render them inoperative, which locking means is released in any desired manner, as by the insertion of a coin in a. slot. Clock-work is provided for throwing the locking means into operation after a certain time so as to again lock the keys. Hitherto in these devices, however, the clockwork kept on running while the typewriter was locked, thus necessitating frequent rewinding.

An object of the present invention is the provision of means whereby the clock-work runs only when the keys are unlocked, and thus it is not necessary to rewind said clockwork except at long intervals. This saves in cost of time and attention given to the machine, and results in economy of maintenance.

A further object of this invention is to secure certainty of starting of the clockwork when the latter is inclosed in a locked casing so as not to be gotten at by an unauthorized person.

A still further object is to secure certainty of stopping of the clock-work without shock so as not to injure the same.

Other features and advantages will here'- inafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my invention applied to clock-work used in connection with a locking bar for locking the typewriter keys, parts being broken away and the casing omitted for the sake of clearness. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1 and shown as mounted in Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1915.

Application filed May 14, 1912. Serial No. 697,131.

a casing, one side of which is removed to display the mechanism, a typewriter key being shown in this figure Fig. 3 is a detail view illustrating the fly wheel of the clock-work with the combined brake and starter adjacent thereto and in released position therefrom. Fig. 4 is a detail view illustrating in another position, the parts shown in Fig. 3, the combined starter and brake being shown in position to stop the fly wheel. Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating a typewriter key held in locked position] The mechanism, part of which is shown in the patent to Rice and Broughton, No. 977,130, November 29, 1910, is illustrated as inclosed in a casing 1, the interior of which cannot be gotten at by an unauthorized person, the latter being able to throw the mechanism into operation only by actuatingamovable member such as a bar 2 placed adjacent an opening or slot 3 in the casing. This bar may be operated in any suitable manner, as by the insertion of a coin in slot 3. However, it is clear that it can be operated in various other ways, as for instance by a key or some other device which can be inserted from the exterior of the casing.

Bar 2 is normally held upward by a spring 4 and has connected thereto at its lower end a lever 5, fulcrumed on pin 6, the opposite end of this lever having a socket 7 engaging a projection or tooth 8 formed on an arm extending from lever 9 fulcrumed on a pin 10. According to the present invention a pin 11 on the upper end'of lever 9, en-

gages an arm 13 of the combined brake and starting lever 12, engaging the fly wheel 14- ot the clock-work indicated generally as 15.

Lever 12 fulcrunied on pin 12 is normally held by a spring 12 in position (Fig. 4) so as to engage wheel 14 through a bar 16 extending therefrom and having a toe 16 adapted to bear against the face of the wheel. Bar 16 is fastened to a projecting portion 17 extending from lever 12. This bar and projection are preferably slightly yielding so as to hug the periphery of wheel 1-1- when moving into or out of engagement therewith. Moreover, the projection 17 and bar 16 are of such proportion and disposi tion that the contacting face 16 of toe 16 is almost in alinement with the axis of the wheel and the fulcrum of lever 12, so that when lever 12 is moved from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 3, the toe 16 of bar 16 will move for a distance through an arc substantially coinciding with the periphery of wheel 14:. It will be seen, therefore, that when lever 12 is moved from the position indicated in full lines in Fig. 4, wherein it frictionally holds wheel 14 from movement, to the position shown in Fig. 3 wherein wheel 14; is disengaged, it will by reason of its resiliency and frictional engagement with the wheel, move for a certain distance together with the wheel, and thus give the clock-Work a positive start.

The means for holding lever 12 in its releasing position for a time and then freeing it may be as follows: On lever 5 is formed a projection 18 having a shoulder engaged by a pin 20 projecting through arms 19 pivoted to lever 9, and disposed on each side thereof. \Vhenbar 2 is depressed by the operator, the lever 9 is raised, throwing the brake lever into its releasing position, and arms 19 swing so that pin 20 engages projection 18, as shown in Fig. 2. A disk 21 actuated from the clock-work and carrying pins may then strike cam face 23 of an arm 24 pivoted on arms 19 and having a limited pivotal movement with respect thereto, this movement being limited by a pin 25 adapted to engage. the upper and lower walls of a slot 26. formed in these arms. \Vhen arm 24 is struck by one of the pins 22, the former is swung about its pivot, and through its projecting pin 25 it disengages a latch 27 from pin 20 and allows the latter to move off from projection 18. A spring 28 then retracts lever 9 into position shown in Fig. 1, permitting the brake lever 12 to swing, by force of its spring, into engagement with the wheel 14 tostop the clock-work.

If desired, the disk 21 may be actuated from the clock-work through a pawl and ratchet connection. The pawls may then be thrown out of engagement by levers 5 and 9 when the latter are in position to arrest the clock-work (Fig. 1). It will be understood that lever 5 operates to normally look the typewriter keys, one of which, indicated 30, is shown in Figs. 2 and 5. This locking is accomplished by the engagement of the beveled shoulder 31, formed on lever 5 with a pin 33 fixed to an arm 32, having rigidly connected thereto, a crank 34, engaging a spring retracted arm having locking bar 36 fast thereto and adapted to be swung under hooks 37 formed on the key levers of the typewriter keys.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1.The combination with a manually-operable machine, of a lock for locking the same against actuation, a clockwork, a wheel connected therewith, abrake, a brake-releasing device for throwing the brake out of engagement with said wheel and starting the clockwork, means to release said lock simultaneously with the starting of the clockwork, mechanism for holding said brakereleasing device in position to retain the brake out of engagement with the wheel, and means driven from the clockwork to trip said holding mechanism and cause the brake and lock to be restored.

2. The combination with clockwork, of a wheel connected therewith, a brake lever fulerumed adjacent said wheel, a slightly yielding projection extending from said lever and engaging the periphery of the wheel at the side thereof diametrically opposite from said lever at a point nearly in a line with the axis of the wheel and the fulcrum of the lever, said projection serving asv a friction brake for the wheel when the lever is swung in one direction and also adapted to hug the periphery of the wheel so as to exert a starting impulse thereon when the lever is swung in the opposite direction. mechanism for swinging said lever out of engagement with the wheel. means for locking said mechanism in position to hold the brake lever off the wheel, means driven from said clockwork to trip the locking means and release said mechanism, and means to throw the brake lever into engagement with the wheel when the locking means is tripped.

3. The combination with a manually-operable machine, of a lock to normally prevent operation of the machine, a clock-work, a wheel connected therewith, a brake lever comprising a brake movable into and out of engagement with the wheel to stop and start the clockwork, manually-controlled means to releasesaid lock and actuate the brake lever to release the wheel, said lever mounted to move for some distance in contact with the wheel, and give a starting impulse to the clockwork while being thrown out of engagement with the wheel, whereby the clockwork is started concomitantly with the release of said lock, and means controlled by the clockwork to effect, the automatic restoration of the lock and brake.

4:- The combination with clockwork, of a wheel connected therewith, a brake mounted adjacent said wheel, a spring .to throw the brake into frictional engagement with said .wheel so as to exert a braking ell'cct thereon,

a brake-releasing device to throw and hold the brake out of engagement with said wheel to release the same, said brake ha ving a path of movement substantially coinciding for some distance with the path of movement of the wheel, the continued contact between the brake and wheel during the release of sition.

5. The combination with clockwork, of a wheel connected therewith, a lever fulcrumed adjacent said wheel, a slightly yielding pro- ,j ection extending from said lever and frictionally engaging the wheel at a point nearly in a line with the axis of the wheel and the fulcrum of the lever, said projection serving as a friction brake for the wheel when the lever is swung in one direction, and also adapted to hug the periphery of the wheel so as to give a. starting impulse thereto when the lever is swung in the opposite direction, a spring to apply the brake, anarm to hold the brake oil the wheel, a latch to hold said arm in operative position, and a trip driven by the clockwork to trip the latch'and permit the spring to apply the brake.

6, The combination with clockwork, of a wheel connected therewith, a lever fulcrumed adjacent said wheel, a slightly yielding projection extending from said lever and frictionally engaging the periphery of the wheel at a point nearly in line with the aXis of the wheel and the fulcrum of the lever, and on the opposite side of the wheel axis from the said fulcrum, said projection serving as a brake for the wheel when the lever is swung in one direction, and also adapted to hug the periphery of the wheel so as to give a starting impulse thereto when the lever is swung in the opposite direction, yielding means for throwing the lever into engagement with the wheel, positive means for throwing and holding the lever out of engagement with the wheel, a device set by the operation. of said last-named means to hold the latter in operative position, and timecontrolled means operated by the clockwork to release said device and permit the lever to be thrown into engagement with the wheel.

7. The combination with a manually-operable machine and a lock to normally prevent the operation of the machine,of a clockwork comprising a brake wheel and a friction brake normally holding the brake wheel and preventing the clockwork from running, means to release said lock and throw the brake off said wheel, said brake operable as it is thrown oil the wheel to impart a positive starting impulse to the clockwork, and means controlled by the clockwork to effect the restoration of said brake and lock to stop the clockwork and to prevent operation of the machine 8. The combination with a manually-operable machine and means to lock it against clockwork, mechanism to simultaneously release the lock and the brake and impart a positive starting impulse to the clockwork, and mechanism driven by the clockwork and operable after a time interval to effect the restoration of the brake and lock 9. The combination of clockwork, a brake for the clockwork, a brake lever operable when unrestrained to apply thebrake, a restraining device operable when in one position to restrain the brake'lever and prevent the brake from being applied, a manuallyoperable machine, a lock for locking the machine against actuation, means to release said lock and put it under the control of the clockwork to be restored thereby, means to operate said restraining device when the lock is released and thereby release the brake, a latch to hold said restraining device in operative position, and means to release the latch when the lock is restored and thereby cause the brake to be applied and stop the clockwork.

10. The combination with a manually-operable machine and a lock for normally locking the machine against actuation, of a clockwork having an oscillating wheel, a device mounted to enter into frictional contact with the periphery of said wheel to form a brake therefor, means operable independently of the clockwork to release said lock and to release the brake device from said wheel while causing it to frietionally move the wheel and thereby impart a starting impulse to the wheel, and means controlled by the clockwork to automatically restore the lock and effect a restoration of the brake device to stop the clockwork.

11. The combination of a manually-operable machine, a lock normally locking the machine against operation, a clockwork, means to normally restrain the clockwork from operation, means to release said lock and place it under the control of the clockwork to be restored thereby, means to release said restraining means and impart a starting impulse to the clockwork when the lock is released, and means to restore said restraining means and stop the clockwork when the lock is restored.

12. The combination of a manuallyoperable machine, a lock for normally locking the same against actuation, a clockwork, means normally restraining the clockwork from operation, means to release said lock and put it under the control of said clockwork to be restored thereby, means for releasing said restraining means simultaneously with the release of said lock, and means to restore said restraining means simultaneously with the restoration of said lock.

13. The combination of a manually-operable machine, a lock therefor, a clockwork for predetermining the moment of restoring the look after the same has been unlocked, 0

and means to automatically stop the clockactuation, of a clockwork, a brake for the work when the machine is locked.

14. The combination of a typewriter mechanism, a lock adapted to lock the same, timecontrolling mechanism for predetermining the moment of operation of the lock to lock the typewriter mechanism "after the same has been 'unlocked, and means to automatically start and stop the time-controlling mechanism concomitantly with the unlocking and locking of the typewriter mechanism.

15. The combination of a typewriter mechanism, a lock therefor, clockwork, means to prevent the clockwork from running while the typewriter mechanism is locked, manually-controlled means to release the lock and start the clockwork, and means controlled by the clockwork for restoring the lock and stopping the clockwork at the end of a predetermined time interval.

16. The combination of a typewriter mechanism, a movable device to prevent the same from being manipulated, said movable device being normally in efl'ective position, means to move said device to ineffective position and permit the manipulationof the typewriter mechanism, a time controlling mechanism, means to set the time-controlling mechanism in operation when said device is moved to ineffective position, said time-controlling mechanism operative to restore said movable device after a predetermined time limit, and brake mechanism controlled by said time-controlling mechanism, and automatically operated to stop the latter when said movable device is restored.

17. The combination with a typewriting machine and a movable device normally effective to prevent the manipulation of said machine, 015 a clockwork, means to move said movable device to ineffective position and place it under the control of the clockwork, the latter operable to restore said device to effective position after a predetermined time interval, and means to automatically start ALFRED G. F. KUROWSKI.

Witnesses:

TITUS H. Irons,- J. H. BROPHY. 

